


In My Eyes

by Manwameldiel



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Angst, Domestic, Fluff, Hannibal is worried, Insecurities, M/M, WARNING: self harm mentioned, but just a little bit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:27:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23666116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Manwameldiel/pseuds/Manwameldiel
Summary: Post season 3/ post fall.Hannibal and Will have been living together now for some time when Hannibal starts noticing Will seems to be purposely hiding  his body from him, something he didn't use to do before. Hannibal tries not to read too much into it, but over time it gets harder for him to ignore the worries as they pile up in his mind.
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 13
Kudos: 162





	In My Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> If you want a more detailed warning about the self harm mention. No one is actually self harming, there are only speculations. Okay, that is all, please enjoy.

It didn’t take long for Hannibal to realize that something was off. 

About a few months into their relationship, Will had become much more comfortable about showing his body around Hannibal. 

He didn’t exactly flaunt it, much to Hannibal’s dismay, but he didn’t make a big deal out of undressing in front of him. And then it was as if things had backtracked and Will was reverting back to only changing his clothes behind closed doors. 

They had gotten into the routine of getting ready for bed together, when Will started waiting until Hannibal was already in bed before he snuck his pajamas to the bathroom and returned carrying the clothes he had been wearing that day. 

Hannibal realized, after seeing Will do this a few times, that he was purposely hiding himself from Hannibal, who wondered why Will felt the need to do so. In his opinion, there was nothing to hide. Will was absolute perfection. And he let him know that every single day. 

“You are perfect,” Hannibal would whisper to Will as they sat together on the couch, as they lay in bed together in the early morning, as he watched Will cook for him the kill of the day. Every day he made sure to let Will know exactly how he saw him. As nothing less than perfect. However, that did not have the effect Hannibal was after, as Will's actions stayed the same.

The longer Will hid, the more it weighed on Hannibal’s mind. Especially when the house was silent. 

Hannibal would sit by his desk, working on a drawing, or reading, and his mind would play dirty tricks on him. Showing him images of the scarring and bruising that Will could be hiding. 

Hannibal wondered if his fear was correct, where Will could have gotten them from. He knew if Will had gotten in a fight or been attacked, he would have said so.

There was only one way Hannibal could think of how Will could have gotten hurt and not told Hannibal. If it had been self inflicted. 

Even though Hannibal had no proof of that, it was still at the forefront of his mind every time he noticed Will sneak off to change. 

Then Hannibal noticed how Will started sitting differently. More upright than ever before, or leaning forward. Hannibal couldn’t figure out whether that threw his theory out the window or the opposite.

One thing that did make him question his theory was the fact that Will wore his shirts with the sleeves rolled up around the house. There was no scarring on the forearms. That didn’t mean there wasn’t in other places, said a dirty voice in the back of Hannibal’s mind. 

Hannibal knew there was most likely nothing to worry about. He was simply overreacting to a little fact. Though, the sudden change had thrown him off guard, and not knowing the reason was downright maddening. So one evening, he asked Will about it.

~*~

He hadn’t planned on asking that night, it had just seemed like the perfect moment.

Will had taken a shower after dinner as Hannibal cleaned up. After he had finished, he had gone to their bedroom to get his sketchbook. 

Standing by the foot of the bed, facing the door, stood Will in an open sweater as he dried his hair. As Hannibal walked inside, Will turned around, pulling the sweater closer to himself. 

Hannibal walked towards the bed and picked up his book from the nightstand. He was halfway back to the door when he stopped and turned around. 

“Why do you hide yourself from me?” he asked and saw Will momentarily freeze.

“What do you mean?” Will asked, back still turned towards Hannibal. 

“I think you know what I mean,” Hannibal said and Will sighed as he threw the towel on the bed. “There is something about you that you don’t want me to see. I’m curious to know why you think there is,” he explained, stepping closer to Will, discarding his sketchbook on the bed along the way. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know it bothered you.” Will turned around, arms crossed over his chest, keeping the sweater closed. 

“It didn’t bother me at first. However, the longer you’ve kept doing it. I cannot help but wonder why.” 

Will nodded, looking off to the side as Hannibal spoke. “Is that why you started complimenting me?” Will looked at him.

“I was hoping it would help,” Hannibal admitted. 

Will nodded before looking away and ran his fingers through his hair that desperately needed a haircut. “Why does it bother you?” he asked after a moment of silence. 

“You wouldn’t be hiding if there was nothing to hide. I am worried about what it is you don’t want me to see.” Hannibal said and Will looked back at him, thoughtfully. 

“What do you think I’m hiding?” he asked and Hannibal felt a pull in his gut. 

“Something you are ashamed of. Something you may have done to yourself,” he said with a lowered voice. Will immediately shook his head. 

“No, I haven’t been doing anything like that,” he said and smiled softly as Hannibal breathed lighter. “I know it’s silly. It’s such a small thing and yet I can’t help feeling insecure about it,” Will said, holding his arms tighter to his chest. 

“You don’t need to tell me if you don’t want to. I just wanted to make sure there is nothing I need to be worried about,” Hannibal said, taking Will by the arm. 

Will looked down and Hannibal was about to turn around when he felt Will grab his hand. Hannibal stayed still as Will looked back into his eyes and pulled back the sweater, revealing his torso. 

“I’ve gained weight,” he said as Hannibal looked down. 

It wasn’t much, he noticed. But Will's stomach did look softer than it used to and he had, what is called, love handles. 

“So?” Will asked and Hannibal looked back up.

“So?” he repeated the question, uncertain of what Will was asking about.

“Do you have any thoughts?” Will asked clearer.

“Only that you look as lovely as ever,” Hannibal said and Will laughed shortly as he looked down, crossing his arms back over his chest. 

“Why didn't you want me to see?” Hannibal wondered and Will shook his head. 

“I'm not quite certain. I guess I wasn’t sure how you would react,” he admitted. 

“You have nothing to fear, Will. You are perfect. I stand by my words." 

Will looked back up, making eye contact, and smiled. “Thank you,” he whispered and Hannibal nodded. 

He turned around to leave. But as he was about to grab the sketchbook, he realized something.

“This happened recently? After we started living together?” he asked as Will picked up the towel from the bed, his sweater was still open, Hannibal noted.

Will nodded, “Why?” he asked.

“Just wondering,” Hannibal said vaguely. The two shared a look and Hannibal could tell Will knew what he was thinking.

Will grinned briefly as he glanced out the window. “I have to admit, I wasn’t the best at keeping track of my meals. I often forgot to eat. 

“Even when I was married to Molly-” Will’s mention of his marriage had Hannibal clenching his teeth. Even though Will was with him now, it was still a sore subject for Hannibal. “-sometimes I was too busy and only ate like once or twice a day.”

“That’s hardly ideal,” Hannibal commented.

“No, it’s not.” Will agreed. 

“What changed?”

Will threw the towel back on the bed and took a step closer to Hannibal. “You,” he said and Hannibal felt his heart beat louder in his chest. 

“Me?”

“You don’t need to look so pleased,” Will said and Hannibal realized he had been smiling.

“Should I be something else?”

“No, I guess not.”

“What was it I did?”

“Something I honestly never expected, considering everything we’ve been through. Something that took me until recently to realize.”

“Which is?”

“You take better care of me now than I have been doing for my entire life.”

That reply took Hannibal by surprise. “I only treat you the way I feel you deserve to be treated,” he said honestly. Will nodded and looked down. Hannibal lifted underneath his chin and Will looked into his eyes. “Do you not see yourself as someone worthy of being taken care of?” 

“I didn’t use to. But you helped me see that I am,” Will smiled softly and Hannibal felt his worries melt away. 

“That you are. It seems to me that you gaining weight is a positive thing.”

“I guess it is. I’m sorry I made you worry. I just wasn’t sure how you would react to it.”

“My darling Will. You need not hide yourself from me, ever. In my eyes, there is no one more beautiful than you are. That will never change.” 

Will’s smile widened before he took a step forward, closing the space between them. He grabbed the back of Hannibal’s neck and pulled him closer to himself, pressing their lips together. 

Hannibal’s hands went to Will’s waist as Will dropped the sweater down onto the floor and wrapped his arms around Hannibal’s shoulders, digging his fingers into his hair. Hannibal wrapped his arms tighter around Will’s torso, holding him as close to him as he could. 

Will’s beard tickled Hannibal’s chin and he welcomed the sensation before he moved his lips from Will’s and placed a small kiss on his cheek before attacking his neck. 

As he left a trail down to the man’s collarbone, Will’s hands went slack as he leaned closer and sighed. 

After Hannibal had left a decent mark on the man’s neck, he took a small step back and looked at Will who still had his eyes closed. 

Hannibal marveled at the sight before him, before he gently caressed Will’s cheek, careful of his scar, and Will opened his eyes again. 

“My love,” he whispered. Will laughed softly at the name, his hands still resting on Hannibal’s shoulders, as he leaned his forehead against Hannibal’s, their noses bumping against each other. Hannibal placed his palms on the small of Will’s back and breathed in deeply. 

From the corner of his eye, Hannibal noticed the sketchbook that lay on the bed and he got an idea.

“Will,” he said and lifted his head up. The other man did the same and looked at him. “Would you mind if I would draw you?”

“Now?” Will asked.

“It doesn’t have to be now. It can be later. Whatever you want,” Hannibal said and Will nodded. 

“Let’s do it now,” Will said to Hannibal’s surprise. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Will said and stepped back. “Where do you want me to be?” He asked, kicking the sweater on the floor out of his way. 

“I was thinking you could be lying on the bed,” he told Will who walked around the corner of the bed, keeping their eye contact.

“And you?”

“I was going to get a chair.”

“Sit on the bed with me,” Will said as he stopped. 

“Why?” Hannibal wondered.

“I want you to.” 

That was all the reason Hannibal needed. He left the room to get his pencils and charcoal and when he returned, Will was lying on his back, facing the window, an arm spread over the empty side of the bed. 

Hannibal grabbed the sketchbook and sat down by the corner of the bed and looked over Will’s beautiful body. As he glanced at Will’s pants he wondered if maybe someday he could get the man to pose for him in even fewer clothing. 

“Enjoying the view?” Will asked and Hannibal looked up to see Will grinning at him.

“Immensely,” he said and smiled before opening his sketchbook.

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this fic because I was feeling insecure about my own body, abandoned it for like 8 months, then picked it up again. Bon appetit, thank you for reading this, I hope you enjoyed.


End file.
